Knowing God
A relationship by definition is a connection, behavior, or feelings toward somebody else—friendship. That’s the kind of relationship God wants with you. We can’t know someone by just reading a book about him or her. To have a relationship we have to connect and interact with that person.
One day the Lord spoke to me. He simply said, “Ronald Reagan” (our president at the time). And that’s all He said. I waited but He said nothing else.So I said, “Yes, he’s our president.” Then God said, “You can read about him every day.” “Yes, I can read about him in magazines and books,” I replied. He said, “You can hear about him every day.”Well of course, I thought, I could hear about him on the television, radio, or even in conversations with people who are discussing him or what he’s doing. He went on, “And you are affected by what he does.”
“Oh yes, he signs bills and laws that do affect my life.”
Then He asked, “How well do you know him?”
Wow! I was brought up short. I didn’t know Ronald Reagan at all. I really only knew about him.The Lord said, “You can read about Me every day.”I responded, “Yes, in the Bible and different books.”He said, “You can hear about Me every day.”And I said, “Yes, on the television, radio, and at church.”Then the Lord said, “You are affected by what I do.”
“Oh yes.” I knew where this was going.
Finally, the Lord asked, “How well do you know Me?”
I realized then that I knew about Him, but I didn’t really know Him on a personal basis. He wants us to know Him.
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you (John 15:15).
The Lord has called us friends. Well, it takes more than reading, hearing, or being affected by what someone does to actually be a friend. The heavenly realm is open to a new level of friendship. It is a mystery. How can we be friends with the God of the universe, the God of eternity, the God of power and might? Jesus said:
To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand (Luke 8:10).
I don’t want to be someone who just knows the parables. I want to know the mysteries. Don’t you?
Out of this place of relationship come visions that connect our natural world to His spiritual realm. These visions release us not only into pure love but into a close connection with God.These experiences with God will remove obstacles that keep us from receiving more of Him, learning more about Him, and becoming healed, whole, and intimate with Him. While you are experiencing His pure love you discover you’ve stepped onto the path of your destiny.
I once read a quote attributed to Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian who was executed by the Nazis in World War II: “Truth divorced from experience must always dwell in the realm of doubt.” Think about that. Truth without an experience can create a niggle of doubt in your mind. You may know God is able and willing to heal people, because the Scriptures say so, and you’ve read that Jesus healed everyone who came to Him. Yet you may struggle with thoughts that God is not willing to heal because you have never seen or experienced healing for yourself or someone you’ve prayed for.
It’s important that you have your own experiences with God. Our God is loving and kind and He wants an intimate relationship with us. Randall Worley once said, “If God only wanted us to do things, then He would have made us angels. He wants a relationship with us.” My prayer for you is that you will find a path of knowing a loving and kind God who wants a relationship with you and wants you to soar like the eagle.
